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13 Comments. Leave new
That food and that sunset! Swoon! Manila is definitely on my list.
That scam is super intense! I have family in the Philippines, so when I was in Manila I stayed with them. It was a lot of fun, though! The scam I saw the most was getting traffic tickets for no reason and having to bribe the police. I saw it three times in my week in Manila! Crazy!
The contrast of city v poverty you mentioned was evident in Jakarta too which doesn’t surprise me seeing they are almost neighbours. There’s some great things to see in Manila but you’ve done well to advise of that nasty scam in particular. As horrible as it sounds, I would never go anywhere with someone I didn’t know, no matter how nice they seemed or what they had on offer. The jeepneys are so cool. I hope modernisation doesn’t chase them away!
I always use Grab when I’m at the airport. Always way cheaper than taxi and more convenient. They dont need to have local sim card to communicate with the driver. Just make sure to use the “note” section when giving instruction which bay to pick you up. There are lots of wifi at the airport and they’re now quite fast and more reliable so it shouldnt be a problem.
Definitely an underrated place despite the annoyances … recommended!
We’ve never been to the Philippines before but I’ve seen lots of photos and it looks beautiful. You always have to be careful of scammers – my favourite memory of one was a man who followed us around trying to get us to pay for a tour, and when we refused asked for 100 dh (about $5) to go away.
The Philippines is moving up on my list, the food you featured looks amazing!
The jeepneys are awesome! They look like party buses. Also, thank you for sharing about those types of scams. It’s crazy how many people will find ways to rip off or take advantage of visitors. Great article! 🙂
The Philippines is very much on my list, I was invited on a trip last year but it was cancelled shortly before. I love cities and places with old and new jumbled together and I really want to ride in a jeepney and try all the local food!
Nice to see someone highlighting what it’s like to spend time in Manila, since so many backpackers just complain about it as a big, ugly, dirty city. The museum suggestions you mention seem worth a day or two at least, and it looks like there’s some nice architecture…plus that pansit batil patong looks awesome.
Just wanna say that the yellow taxis will NOT ask for extra pay but it doesn’t mean it’s actually safer to travel in, especially if you’re heading to bus terminals. Scammers usually wait there and once they see an airport taxi, the moment the driver opens your trunk, they grab your things (without your consent and will not let it go), bring it to whatever bus you’re boarding and ask for money. I live in Cavite, and I once took the airport cab to the bus terminal I’m boarding to get home and this happened (I had one luggage and three men “carried” it and asked for 100 EACH, I made a scene ugh). I have watched it happen to other people a lot of times as well when they take the airport taxi to different bus terminals. UGH SO ANNOYING!
ARGH… how terrifying the scams sound. Especially being drugged. NOPE!
But those noodles, well now they look a very good reason to risk being scammed and ending up in the international news. 🙂 Thanks for the tips, i am slightly terrified to visit, but if I do, I am now all over how to avoid it.
I love those jeepneys Aleah! Funky looking, with Jesus Himself on the side. Love it. Like the Pinoy version of chicken buses in Central America, those having Jesus grace the side as well. We laid over in the airport for 13 hours last May. We got 2 meal vouchers which was cool, but save buying meals and eating we slept most of the time. Big flight to NYC – Vancouver layover – was ahead of us, and we had just flown from Chiang Mai to BKK, then from BKK to Manila.
Ryan